Ensuring Support For Breastfeeding Families

Breastfeeding is an amazing commitment that comes with many challenges and rewards. The benefits of breastfeeding are endless for both mother and baby, from protection from infectious diseases, to cardiovascular health benefits, to improving mental health and confidence for parents (Horta, 2007). In 2003, The World Health Organization recommended infants be exclusively breastfed until six months of age, with breastfeeding continuing as an important part of the infant’s diet until at least two years of age. To ensure families have every opportunity to meet this recommendation and their individual breastfeeding goals, families need support.

When serious questions arise, such as pain, infection, low milk supply, or a variety of other concerns, the 2011 Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding recommends that all families have access to services provided by Internationally Board-Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) With the teamwork of IBCLC’s and specialized Pediatricians at Commonwealth Pediatrics, breastfeeding families can find confidence in reaching their breastfeeding goals.

Tips For Mothers Interested In Breastfeeding:

• To have the best outcome, a breastfeeding mother is encouraged to breastfeed her new baby a minimum of eight to twelve times daily. Mothers who continue to nurse their babies at frequent, unrestricted intervals are more likely to establish a good milk supply than mothers who nurse on a restricted feeding schedule.

• Be sure your baby is nursing effectively. Do you feel your breasts are softer and lighter after your baby nurses? Can you hear your baby swallow? Do you feel a gentle tugging at your breast? It is important for mothers to look for signs of productive milk removal at every feeding. IF you have sore or cracked nipples, this may be an indicator of an incorrect latch.

• Look for dirty diapers as a sign your baby is getting enough. By day 3, your baby should be having a minimum of 3 stools per day, and 5-6 wet diapers per day. If you think your baby is not waking up for feedings, try skin to skin care, and breast compressions to keep your baby interested in breastfeeding.

• If you are separated from your baby due to prematurity, illness, or other condition, milk must be removed from your breasts by means other than your baby’s feeding, otherwise your milk supplying hormones will shut down. In these situations, remember to pump your milk with an electric/ or hospital grade pump a minimum of 8 times daily.

• All women should be offered support to breastfeed their babies with an individualized support system to include family, friends, employers, and medical professionals. By affording this standard of care to all breastfeeding women, we can increase the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding.

Kelsey Carroll – Kelsey has been a licensed Registered Nurse in the Commonwealth of Virginia since 2012 and graduated from Liberty University with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She is a member of the International Lactation Consultant Association and has been an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) since 2018. She began her nursing career working in the Adult/ Pediatric Emergency Room both in Lynchburg, VA and in Richmond. Her passion for postpartum care and love of newborns began quickly after the birth of her own two children and has been a mother/infant nurse since 2016. Along with bedside nursing, she has also been an inpatient lactation consultant at two major hospitals in the local Richmond area. Kelsey provides in-home lactation services as the co-founder and owner of Coming Home LLC.

Sarah Thorpe:- Sarah received her B.S. in Nursing degree from Liberty University. After spending many years as a bedside nurse, she found her passion in serving families and their infants. Sarah is an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant and a member of The International Lactation Consultant Association. Not only does Sarah serve families in our practice but she also owns her own company, “Nurturing Birth and Beyond” where she further brings education and support to families in the comfort of their own home. Sarah says her goal as an IBCLC is to work with families to reach their personal goals every step of the way.